Containers are used for a variety of applications. One particular application is the storage and distribution of liquids, such as tonic water, soda pop, beer, etc.
One type of container is a bottle. Bottles may be manufactured by a number of manufacturing processes including, for example, parison blow molding, extrusion blow molding and injection molding. One such manufacturing process that has been commonly employed in the beverage industry is parison blow molding of glass.
Containers, such as bottles, are typically sealed by closure members. Closure members may be a variety of common elements such as corks, crowns or twist-off caps, to name a few. Typically, glass beverage bottles are sealed by closure members referred to as crowns. Crowns have conventionally been composed of steel and have a liner provided therein. Steel crowns are commonly made by a stamped metal fabrication process and are thereafter treated to prevent rust formation. The liner is provided as a seal between the top-most surface of the bottle, often referred to as the top-finish, and the crown. The liner is typically manufactured out of a soft urethane, soft plastic, latex, rubber or the like.
In order to seal a conventional glass bottle, the crown is placed over the top of the bottle after filling. The crown is then pressed onto the bottle such that the crown is formed (i.e. ‘bent’) around the top of the bottle. As such, the liner is urged against the top-finish, thereby providing a sealed container.